Sash latch



March zo, 192s,

T. A. LEGGE sA sH LATCH Filed Sept. 6. 1921 Jmw/ffff Patented Mar. 20, 1928.

UNITED STA-rss THOMAS A. LEGGE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ADAMS & WESTL'AKE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SASH LATCH.

.Application led September 6, 1921i. Serial No. 498,635.

The invention relates t0 latches for window sashes, or the like, and has as its principal object to provide a simple and durable latch which is easily manufactured and does not readily get out of order. A further object is to provide a latch 0f the above character which shall have the fewest possible projecting parts, such as would be likely to catch in the window curtain or other loose object-s as the sash is raised or lowered.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the latch attached to a window sash, a portion of which is shown fragmentarily, together with a portion of the window frame; v

Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the latch, the window sash to which it is attached being shown in section; and

Fig. 3 shows the latch partly in side elevation and partly in section, on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The latch comprises a hollon7 casing 10, here shown as attached by means of screws 11 to a vertically sliding sash 12, and pro` vided with the usual rearwardly projecting lip 13, for raising and lowering the sash. Housed within the casing 10 and normally projecting from the front end thereof is a spring-pressed plunger 14, which cooperates with a rack, as 15, formed on the window frame, thus enabling the sash to be secured in any desired position. v

The rear portion 17 of the plunger 14 is hollow, and is slidable in a cylindrical hous ing 18, preferably cast integral with the casing 10. A compression spring 19, for holding the plunger 14 in engagement with the rack 15, is contained within the housing 18 and the hollow rear portion 17 of the plunger 14, its rear end bearing against the rear of the casing and its forward end bearing against the plunger, as at 19. By having the spring thus completely housed there is no possibility of its accidentally slipping out of place. The plunger 14 is notched, as at 20, to permit of its being retracted by an arm 21 of a bell-crank 22, which is pivoted in the casing 10 and held in place, as by a screw 23. The other arm 24 of the bell crank rejects through the rear of the casing, and its end is flattened to form a lip 25, similar to the lip 13. By depressing the lip 25 there is, therefore, no possibility of catching the same in the window curtain or other loose objects, when the sash is raised or low-V ered.

Among the advantages secured by the described construction is that the chamber of the housing 18 and the recess 17 in the bolt forms a convenient place for the insertion of a lubricant, preferably grease, which, being inclosed, is protected from dust, as the bolt makes a snug fit with the chamber of the housing. The grease makes it feasible to form the spring of piano wire, as it coats the wire and prevents corrosion. Heretofore in devices of this character there has been no means for applying a lubricant to the spring, and consequently it has been necessary to formthe wire of non-corrosive material, which soon loses its elasticity.

A further advantage of the construction is that the bolt is firmly supportedlaterally adjacent both ends. Sash latches, particularly when employed on railway cars, are subjected to very hard usage. Frequently the sash will be allowed to drop, and the latch may be caught in one of the stop shoulders before the sash reaches lthe bottom of the casing, thereby puttingI great strain on the bolt. In former practice these latches were frequently broken in this manner. The latch of this application possesses great strength to resist shocks of this character. l

I claim as my invention- In a sash latch, a casing, a housing formed by said casing and provided with a bore having its inner end c osed and its outer end opened, said housing provided with a notch in the wall of said bore intermediate the ends thereof, said casing havingv an opening in its rear wall, a lip member extending rearwardly adjacent said opening, a bolt slidably mounted in said bore and forming a close fit therein, said bolt extending across Said notch and forming with the inner end of said bore a close-d chamber in all positions y' of said bolt during its operation, 'for retaining a lubricant therein, a light spring n said chamber in engagement with said bolt, `and means having one end extending through said notch for operating said bolt and its other end extending through said opening 10 adjacent to, but in spaced relation to, said lip member.

THOMAS A. LEGGE. 

